Communism

Communism is a political and economic system that at one time was one of the most powerful forces in the world. Communism shaped a lot of history from the early 1900's to the 1990's. Some people have considered Communism the greatest threat to world peace; others have looked on it as the world's greatest hope. The term Communism has a couple meanings. Communism can be interpreted as a form of government, an economic system, a revolutionary movement, a way of life, or a goal.

Also, Communism is a set of ideas about how and why history moves, and where it is headed. The ideas about Communism were developed mainly by V. I. Lenin from the writings of Karl Marx. Lenin was a Russian revolutionary leader of the early 1900's, and Karl Marx was a German philosopher in the 1800's.

The word communism comes from the Latin word communis, which means common or belonging to all. We can trace back the idea of communal property all the way to the time of the early Greeks. In the 300's B.C., Plato discussed communal ideas in his book The Republic. Plato proposition suggested that a ruling class own everything in common, but the welfare of the state should be above all personal desires. A number of early Christian groups had some form of community that had communal ownership of property. Over the time, many philosophers supported such communist ideals as community ownership and equality of work and profit. And so in the 1800's, Marx transformed Communism into a revolution.

Communists said their long-range goal is a society that provides equality and economic security for all of the people living under its rule. Traditionally Communists have called for government ownership of land, factories, and other economic resources, rather than private. Communists have also called for government control of economic activity, and for strict rule by the Communist Party.

Marx, Karl (1818-1883), was thought to be among the most important thinkers of the 1800's. Few writers in all of history can actually compete with him for his broad influence on the world. What he wrote helped form a foundation for the political and economic system known as Communism.

Marx had a prediction that Capitalism would collapse in industrialized countries and that Communism with time would take its place. He thought that Capitalism would end after workers would start a revolution against the owners of factories and other property used to produce goods and services. During the revolution, the workers would gain control of economic resources and most importantly the government.

In the 1900's, Marx's thinking shaped the socialist and Communist governments in many countries. His ideas also influenced a number of academic fields, especially economics, history, and political science, even in capitalist nations.

Millions of people live under Communist rule by 1900's. By 1917, Russia became the first state to be controlled by a Communist Party. It existed from 1922 to 1991. Afterwards Russia has joined with three other territories in 1922. These territories have formed the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.), or Soviet Union. Twelve more republics were added by 1940, and the Soviet Union had become one of the most powerful countries in the world.

The Bolsheviks thought that the revolution in Russia that happened during 1917 would spark revolution in other countries. But Lenin soon realized that worldwide revolutions would require careful organization and direction. In 1919, Lenin established the Comintern (Communist International). The Comintern united all Marxist groups throughout the world who accepted Lenin's ideas on revolutionary violence and the organization of Communist Party.The only Communist government established with the help of the Comintern was in Mongolia in the early 1920's. The Comintern succeeded there only because Mongolians feared domination by the Chinese more than by the Soviets. Stalin had little faith in the Comintern, and he dissolved it in 1943.

By the late 1970's, Communism was in bad shape in many parts of the world. The population of Communist China had almost doubled under Mao Zedong, and the Chinese government was barely able to provide food for its people. Dissatisfaction with Communism in the countries controlled by the soviets of Eastern Europe was growing stronger.

The Soviet Union was hit with serious economic problems, a dissatisfied middle class, and disappointment with the Communist political system. Hostility among the country's numerous ethnic groups had smoldered for years. Many non-Russians resented the power of ethnic Russians and began to demand more control over them selves. In addition, corruption was growing among members of the Communist Party. In Western Europe, Communist parties faced declining electoral support by the late 1970's. By the late 1980's,